Back during the cold war when you called someone a "pig" it
usually meant you thought they were greedy. The term is probably
derived from the tendency of the biggest and fattest hog to shut all
others from the trough. This tendency is not limited to pigs in nature
and so it should not come as a surprise that humans, though arguably
capable of rising above their animal nature, exhibit this behaviour as
well.

In the 60's those called pigs were usually American, white, and male.
But pigs, like people, are found on every continent and nation of the
planet. Pigs come in  all colors too. There are not only white pigs, but
black pigs, brown pigs, yellow pigs and  yes, pink pigs. And while we
are on the subject of pink, they come in both genders and are not
particularly picky about which they copulate with. Pigishness, then has
nothing to do with nationality, race, gender or sexual preference. Age,
however, does factor in as the fattest pigs have to be around long
enough to get that way.

Not until the fattest pigs have had their fill can the little pigs fight it
out for the left overs. Only the most aggressive will become fat themselves.
The others will most likely starve to death unless a farmer intervenes.
The role of the farmer in this metaphor is usually played by government.

In the former Soviet Union, people and pigs alike were regarded as the
property of the state and treated accordingly. The competitive tendencies
of the individual were subjugated by a single ruling party in favor of what
they considered to be the overall best interest of the collective.

In the United States and other western nations, the individual's right to
self determination is guaranteed by law. With this freedom comes the
responsibility of controlling one's own animal  tendencies. Government,
through the courts, only steps in when the rights of one individual infringe
upon another's. However, the moral superiority of this system over the
tyranny of communism is undermined when the cost of defending one's
rights becomes prohibitive. In the end, it is the character of the individuals
making up a society that determines if humans are any better than pigs or
any other grunt beast on this planet.

Additional reading: Animal Husbandry

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